In our article, we want to talk about what a seed parsnip is. This medicinal plant has long been known to people. Mention of it was found in the herbalists of Dioscorides, who recommended the plant as a diuretic, when coughing, to increase appetite, as a painkiller for kidney, stomach and liver colic. Now the scope of parsnip is much wider.
Parsnip growth sites
Parsnip sowing is also called parsnip meadow, ordinary, white carrot, spindle root. This is a two-year-old herbaceous plant. It belongs to the genus Pasternak family of umbellate. The plant grows in height from thirty centimeters to one meter. Sowing parsnip obtained as a result of centuries-old removal from a wild plant, which is very common in Ukraine, the Caucasus, Western Siberia, America, Western Europe, Turkey and many other countries.
What distinguishes a cultivated species from a wild one is the presence of a thick spicy-sweet root.
Plant description
Sowing parsnips has an erect, furrowed, faceted stem, the upper part of which is branched and has a margin. The upper leaves are large enough, and the lower ones are small with a short stalk. The flowers of the plant are very small yellow color collected in complex umbrellas from eight to fifteen rays.
Seeds have a rounded elongated shape, they are flat brown in color. Parsnip root is thick, white with a spicy smell and sweetish in taste. In shape, it resembles a carrot. It blooms only in the second year at the end of summer. And the fruits of the parsnip sowing ripen in September.
Useful properties of the plant
As a cultivated parsnip (photo is given in the article) it became known in the twelfth century, but it was widely used in the eighteenth century. In Russia, the plant appeared even earlier than potato.
It has a complex and at the same time rich composition (useful substances). Essential oils, thiamine, vitamins B1, C, B2, PP, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, pectin, starch and other substances are present in the root of parsnip. In fruits (this is what we call seeds) flavonoid glycosides, furocoumarins are found. And the essential oil in them contains from 1.5 to 3.6 percent. In addition, octylbutyl ether of butyric acids is present in it which actually gives such a peculiar smell to parsnip.
Sowing parsnips, the use of which is not limited to cooking alone, also has healing properties. Ancient Greek doctors, for example, used it as a means of stimulating appetite, as a diuretic and painkiller, as a medicine for colic, and also to improve sexual function (strengthens male strength).
The use of parsnip in modern medicine
The healing properties of the plant are confirmed by modern medicine, and traditional medicine. Sowing parsnips (the pharmacopoeia contains parsnip-based preparations) is currently actively used in the pharmaceutical industry, such drugs as Beroxan, Pastinitsin, Eupiglin and many others are produced.
Pastinacin is an antispasmodic that is used for angina pectoris, neurosis and cardioneurosis. This medicine is prescribed for gastrointestinal spasms, as well as for problems with the biliary tract and kidneys.
Beroxan gives good results in the treatment of psoriasis, nesting baldness, vitiligo and other skin diseases. The drug is used not only externally, but also inside.
ethnoscience
Parsnip sowing, the use of which is quite widespread in medicine, is nevertheless not forgotten by traditional medicine. People have long used the plant as a remedy. The fruits of the parsnip inoculum contain biologically active compounds that help fight various ailments. Root crops and leaves are also used for medicinal purposes.
A decoction of the roots helps well when coughing as an expectorant (softens and helps to get out sputum), and water tincture is used as a tonic for the recovery of severe patients.
In addition, parsnip significantly improves digestion, strengthens blood vessels, for this reason it is used to treat and prevent vascular and heart diseases. It also helps with gallstone and kidney stone diseases, with nervous diseases and pancreatitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, gout, etc.
But a decoction from the roots of parsnip has a beneficial effect on hair growth. Freshly grated root of the plant relieves renal, gastric, and hepatic colic well (as a painkiller).
Cooking broth
To prepare a decoction of the roots, you need to pour a teaspoon of ground roots into 0.5 liters of water. Then boil the liquid for about ten minutes. Strain the finished broth and drink the whole within one day.
To prepare a decoction of parsnip leaves, you need to pour a tablespoon of crushed plant leaves, pour ½ liter of water, then boil for ten minutes on low heat, and then strain the broth. A medicine is taken in ¼ cup three times a day. This is best done twenty minutes before a meal. In such a schedule, the broth is drunk for one week, and then another seven days in ¾ cup.
In folk medicine, juice from the roots of parsnip is also used as a therapeutic agent, since it is rich in silicon, potassium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, and other substances. It can be used for brittle nails. Also, juice has a positive effect on the functioning of the brain, lungs and bronchi, it is drunk with tuberculosis, emphysema, pneumonia, mental disorders, and is also used as a tonic. Freshly prepared juice is drunk in a tablespoon three to four times a day before meals with the addition of a small amount of honey.
Since ancient times, appetite has been improved with the help of alcohol tincture of parsnip roots (moonshine was used for this). Of course, this is not the best solution to the problem, but if a person abuses alcohol, then the tincture from the plant at least benefits.
Postoperative patients to restore strength, you can give water tincture from the roots. A hundred milliliters of liquid put a tablespoon of honey. Take tincture three times a day half an hour before meals. The course of treatment is one month.
Parsnip infusion
Parsnip infusion has a sedative effect. It even relieves spasms of blood vessels. It is prescribed for all kinds of neurosis, muscle cramps, hypertension, angina pectoris, to normalize sleep.
There is another version of tincture, which is used with weakened immunity. Two tablespoons of the root are put in a thermos and pour a glass of boiling water, insist for about twelve hours. Next, a spoonful of honey is added and one tablespoon is taken three to four times a day half an hour before a meal.
Parsnip for baldness
The healing properties of parsnip are so good that it is even used for baldness. A hair mask is being prepared. The dry powder of the plant is mixed with a moisturizing balm. The mixture is applied to the head, it must be kept for about thirty minutes, and then washed off. This tool has a good effect on hair growth, while the hairline becomes thicker.
You can also rub tincture into the scalp after the sauna, bath, when the pores are open. It also helps with baldness.
Parsnip cultivation
To grow this culture is not at all difficult. It is unpretentious and grows in large numbers in gardens and kitchen gardens. He prefers sunny places and moisture. Parsnips are sown like carrots in rows, in autumn or spring.
To improve germination, the seeds are soaked before planting. Harvested not in the early spring before the leaves and in the fall. If you leave a few roots until next year, you can get the seeds of the plant, but the root itself will already lose its healing properties.
Parsnip in cooking
Currently, parsnip is widely used in cooking and confectionery. The roots of the plant are dried, consumed stewed, even boiled and put as seasoning in salads, soups, meat, vegetables and side dishes.
